A very important point my friend Mike (of Empire8.tv and Matchday Live) just made to me. Maybe it is time I don the pinstripes for the betterment of humanity? However unlikely it is to happen, definitely something worth contemplating.

I can’t really wait for the baseball season to start so in the meantime, enjoy these two Red Sox Nation commercials going after the Yankees in the meantime.

There have been plenty of angry comments on both of those videos by the bandwagon New York fans and I guess it doesn’t really surprise me. One would think after all these many years, they would understand what a rivalry is but I guess that might be expecting too much from them. Visit the You Tube page by clicking on the video to view the comments directly from the source.

We have seen Congress intervene on Major League Baseball’s steroid policy and now Barack Obama is talking about using his influence to finally get rid of the hogwash that is the BCS system. The two ideas could not have been met with receptions from different ends on the spectrum.

The intervention by Congress was met by questions of skepticism and outrage that shouldn’t Congress be doing other things like improve the economy and figure out a way to bring our troops back home. Yet when Barack Obama suggested on Monday Night Football right before the election and on 60 Minutes last night that there should be a playoff in College Football, all hell broke loose and everybody thought it was a great idea.

So why the double standard? Don’t get me wrong, I have been a fan of Obama for President since 2004 when he first gave the speech at John Kerry’s convention but just notice the different that a likability factor or personality factor carries with a person or a body of people. Congress generally has low approval ratings and them trying to mess with America’s pasttime was not going to improve any matters. On the other hand, a well liked President-elect recently getting support of nearly 55% of the American electorate weights on a topic (sports) that politicans usually tend to stay away and he has rattled some sticks.

I certainly hope that college puts BS bowl system away and institutes some sort of playoff format to truly decide a national champion. Maybe this is the President who can cause change all across the board from health care to a vast majority of Americans to improved tax situations for the middle class and even a playoff system for the college football fan.

Conventional wisdmon is out the door with Obama in the White House, and your priorities don’t have to be listed in 1-2-3… they can be 1-1-1. Why not be able to tackle more than one issue at a time and be more efficient?

You’re witnessing history folks, and I have a feeling the next 4 to 8 years are going to be stuff that gets highlighted in history books for all to read when we’re gone.

Back on March 29th, I made baseball predictions about where the teams would finish and here is what I had said back then.

AL: Boston (East), Detroit (Central), Los Angeles (West) and Toronto (Wild Card)
NL: New York (East), Chicago (Central), Los Angeles (West) and Philadelphia (Wild Card)

As of right now, 2 of those picks are dead on (Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs). 2 of those picks are flat out wrong (Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays). What is going to be interesting is the race down the stretch to see if Boston can make up 3.5 games to win the division, whether the Mets hold on to win the division (up by 3 right now) as well as if the Phillies can gain 4 games on the Brewers with a little over 20 to go. I didn’t know it then, but what a story it would be if Joe Torre makes it to the playoffs with Manny Ramirez and the Yankees don’t make the fall classic.

I can go from having as little as only two correct picks or I can have as much as six out of the eight possible teams in their correct location.

Down the stretch analysis after the break…As for the race down the stretch, let me just analyze each of the possible spots:

AL East: Tampa Bay has done it all year long and despite struggling a little this past week, I think they will still hold on to be strong enough to fend off the Red Sox for the division title.
AL Central: Every year people write off the Twins and with about 20 games to go and after a two week road trip, the Twins are only 1.5 games behind. Now that they are finally home, I think they’ll be able to catch the White Sox and barely win that division.
AL West: I think the Angels basically decided this division right after the break. It looked like for a moment that the Athletics were going to make it a competitive race but they have fallen off the map and conducted a fire sale, so there went that idea.
AL Wild Card: It is going to take about 91-92 wins but I think Boston is going to be able to hold off such remarkable competition to win the American League Wild Card spot.

NL East: For all their bullpen trouble, this team certainly has that fighting character that they were missing last year. Still up 3 games going into a series vs. the Phillies would be a perfect time for them to create more distance between the two teams but who can forget the collapse of 7 games in 17 days… I still think the Mets hold on to win it.
NL Central: Could this finally be the year that the Cubs make a strong showing in the playoffs? Things have certainly lined up pretty well for them in the 100 year anniversary since they last won but a late season injury to Zambrano could damper their hopes and have their fans thinking “Here we go again…”. Come on Cubs, this is your year.
NL West: You learn the true value of a coach once he has left. The Yankees are certainly feeling it and the Dodgers are reaping every benefit from it. Which other manager could acquire Manny Ramirez in the middle of the season, tell him to cut his hair and still have him produce the way he has been? Only Joe Torre.
NL Wild Card: For the Brewers, giving up a 4 game lead with 19 to go isn’t as bad as the Mets last year but after getting swept by the Mets certainly has to have them second guessing themselves down the stretch. If the Brewers continue to struggle and the Phillies come out of this series against the Mets pretty well, the gap could disappear just like that. The schedule seems to be on the side of the Brewers with them getting two “easy” series while the Phillies have to face the Mets and Marlins. Nevermind the 19 games, these six in the upcoming two series could settle the race right now. I’ll give the edge to the Brewers.

Revised Predictions:
AL: Tampa Bay (East), Minnesota (Central), Los Angeles (West), Boston (WC)
NL: New York (East), Chicago (Central), Los Angeles (West), Milwaukee (WC)

Just a funny thought that if I tell someone that New York, Chicago and LA will win their divisions and as them to guess which league it was… how many of the people would have guessed the National League? Think about it.

This year, Stevens Athletics in conjunction with Empire8.tv and Penn Atlantic will be broadcasting several sporting events all season long free of charge to all viewers. The sports this fall that will be broadcast include the following: Basketball and Soccer for both Men and Women as well as Women’s Volleyball and Field Hockey. Sports the following spring should include Lacrosse for both Men and Women as well as Men’s Volleyball. This year, an audio broadcast will also be provided for Stevens’ baseball games.

Stevens kicked off their athletic season this past weekend hosting the Stevens College Cup where they defeated #8 Redlands Bulldogs and Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham Devils to go 2-0 on the weekend. The field hockey team had just as impressive of a showing going 2-0 themselves after defeating Haverford College on Saturday and No. 14 Juniata College on Sunday in an incredible double-overtime game.

Tune in to another exciting season of Empire 8 Athletic Conference sports, streamed live to you in the comfort of your home or office. Get never before access to home games all season long, and keep up with your favorite teams and players. Empire8.tv is where you get the best seat in the house, no matter where you are.

Once again if you want to watch any of the games, here is the link: Empire8.tv. The games are only broadcast live and you cannot watch a rebroadcast online. Repeats will be played on campus through the SIT TV.